John Lennon's Last Live Performance

As he was writing the songs for his album Walls and Bridges, Lennon played Elton John a tape of his new material, then asked if John would play piano and sing on one of the tracks. John chose the song "Whatever Gets You Thru the Night," predicting it would become a No. 1 single. Disbelieving, Lennon said he would join John on stage if the prediction came true.

On Thanksgiving Day, 1974, Lennon fulfilled his promise when he joined John on stage at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The pair sang three songs, including Lennon's new hit single, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" and "I Saw Her Standing There," which Lennon introduced as "a song by an old estranged fiancée of mine called Paul." It would be the last live performance for Lennon, who would drop out of music for a while to spend time with his family. "Whatever Gets You Thru the Night" went on to be his only chart-topping solo single.